Home Staging

Has your house been stuck on the market for months or are you consistently receiving offers well below your asking price? A process called home staging may be the answer to your problem. Home staging solves the “low sale” or “no sale” dilemma by dealing with three typical problems in real estate sales.

Organization - A disorganized home makes a house seem smaller, more like a fixer-upper than a home ready for the buyer. Home staging deals with clutter through the use of more efficient furniture and usually seeking expert consultation. Modernization-dated furnishings cause a house to seem like a project, not a place that's ready for a family to move in. Home staging can help you update your real estate at a better price than buying whole new furnishings, helping you turn a better profit. What's more-home stagers will often move the rental furnishings into and out of your house, saving you time as well.

Visualization - A home without furnishings can seem cold and uninviting, not warm and comfortable, full of possibilities. As a recent article in Businessweek.com stated, “Even the most gorgeous home can sit on a market waiting to be sold. The problem may not be the house itself, it may be the impression it makes-or lack thereof.”

Creating a positive first impression is the goal of home stagers. In effect, you turn your house into a model home. Homes that are professionally staged generally net a considerable profit over the cost of home staging. In a recent poll at America Online Money & Finance, 87% of nearly 20,000 respondents said that home presentation makes a difference in most real estate sales.

Home staging is a process you can take charge of on your own, with your realtor or with the assistance of home staging professionals. Bringing in a professional, however, is like watching a television decorating show doing its magic. After assessing the problem aspects of your property, a home staging consultant will devise solutions that fit your budget and are designed to create a profit beyond the staging costs. Part of your consideration should always include how much it costs you every month your property doesn't sell.

Typically, rented furnishings or selections from your own collection are put to work in home staging. Renting items tends to be cheaper, and let's face it-few people have an interior decorator's touch. Furnishings homeowners purchase through the years often don't fit together or have simply become outdated. Stylish furniture gives the buyer a sense of what the space can accomplish, creating a modern and contemporary atmosphere that lends a professional, upscale look to any property. It creates a vision for the buyer of the potential in a home.

Real estate agents who use home staging experience the joy of showing a property that looks like a model home instead of a house that needs a remodel. They avoid the frustration of trying to sell a cluttered and disorganized property. With professional home staging you can garner sales on real estate that might otherwise sit on the market.

For owners, selling fast and turning a profit are your goals. Home staging creates an appealing property that will generally out-sell and out-perform comparable homes. A small investment can generate a considerable return in time saved and dollars made on your sale. Your realtor can give you an honest assessment regarding the likelihood of home staging improving your sales prospects.

For further information on home staging, you can read about it at www.homestagers.co.uk, arrange a consultation at Furniture Rental Source, or visit the International Association of Home Staging Professionals.